Shining in our March Volunteer Spotlight... Will Monroe!
Will Monroe is one of our most dependable volunteers and helps to provide some of the stability that makes our pantry run so efficiently. Will retired about four years ago and was looking for something to do. He looked around online and found our website. He thought it seemed like a place that could suit his skills and so he called to ask about volunteering. He spoke with Allen on the phone and then came in to see the operation. He soon began volunteering!
Will comes in on Monday and Tuesday mornings. These are two of the busiest, most hectic times of the week, so it’s vital to have steady volunteers like Will during these periods. Will’s primary job is to load the client carts with the basic commodities that go out to our clients. He goes around the circle in our cart-building area, picking up the items for distribution and puts them in boxes before loading them on the carts that go out to the clients. This job requires a lot of walking and bending with some lifting. It also requires someone who can stay on top of things to let Robbie and the rest of the pantry staff know about any item shortages or other issues. Some mornings, Will can end up making hundreds of carts to go out. He’s been here on several of our record setting days, including our current record day of 530 households served!
Having someone like Will to keep the door workers supplied with the carts they need to serve the clients is essential to our operation. Will never lets us run out while he’s working. When Will is not building carts, he’s often found helping to load coolers, unloading the grocery van, taking out the cardboard, or doing something else to make the place run efficiently.
One of Will’s favorite things about coming to Ashure Ministry to volunteer is the relationships he’s made while working here. Will is a very easy-going and fun-loving guy, so he fits in seamlessly with the Ashure Ministry family. Will has definitely made a lot of new friends since he began serving here, and he’s almost never without a smile on his face. He’s usually found chatting or kidding around with another volunteer or staff member as he works.
Will is a big sports fan and it's a common occurrence to hear him carrying on with someone about ballgames from the past weekend. Will is an alum from UNC and is a die-hard Tar Heel fan. Especially during football and basketball seasons, you can hear him and Allen going back and forth heckling each other over the State-Carolina rivalry. Will always likes to egg Allen on during our annual March Madness Challenge anytime the Heels rank over the Wolfpack. He is always the first to jokingly question the officiating and results when things go the other way! Regardless of who wins, he and the rest of the ministry family always have fun with the challenge!
Will is most grateful to Ashure Ministry for giving him the opportunity to serve those in need. He finds a great sense of joy and satisfaction in being able to serve and having a great group of people with a similar sense of mission with whom to serve. When he began volunteering, it was during the middle of the pandemic, so our volunteer numbers were not what they are now. Will likes to reflect on how much we’ve grown as an organization, and he’s always been impressed with how we’ve been able to adapt to this vast growth in clientele. It means a lot to him that he’s able to spend his time helping those in need during his retirement. Will certainly feels that he made the right decision in coming to Ashure Ministry to volunteer.
Thank you, Will, for all you do for Ashure Ministry and the community we serve! Good luck to you and your Tar Heels during this year’s March Madness Challenge!